The Penn State cheerleaders work in the crowd during an NCAA college football game against Illinois Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

By Neil Rudel

nrudel@altoonamirror.com

James Franklin snuck in a dig at the Big Ten office earlier this week when he noted how often the Nittany Lions play Iowa, “maybe the best team in the West (division) over our time here. We love that … I know it’s random.”

I like Franklin, but I don’t like when he makes an issue over scheduling, like he does over the non-story of opening league play on the road so often.

This has been a great series, evenly played (11-11 since PSU joined the Big Ten), with each winning on the other’s field, often with high drama and high stakes.

In fact, if the Lions aren’t playing Ohio State or Michigan and until they play USC, I would say Iowa is the best game on the schedule.

So let’s enjoy it and not infer that you’d rather be playing Purdue.

n Oddsmakers have said the home field is typically worth three points. Penn State’s White Out may be a little more. After losing five of six White Out games from four of five White Out games from 2011-15, the Nits have won five of their last six, starting with the 2016 shocker over Ohio State.

n PSU smartly took the Buckeyes and Michigan out of the regular White Out rotation — they lost three of the last four vs. OSU but won three of the last four vs. UM — and have now faced Auburn, Minnesota and Iowa in the last three White Outs.

n Beating the Hawkeyes can all but assure the Nits will be 6-0 heading into Columbus on Oct. 21 since the next three games are at Northwestern and Massachusetts sandwiched around a bye week.

n Franklin intentionally tipped off the game plan on Tuesday when he said the Lions need to throw the ball deep to open up their running lanes for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Let’s see if they try to establish that early tonight.

n Tight end Theo Johnson, a projected high-round pick, has been targeted very little and only has four catches in three games. Hint, hint.

n I realize juggling two talented running backs is tough, but I also don’t think Penn State will reach its potential with Singleton only averaging 12 carries per game.

N Two receivers who didn’t play at Illinois, reliable Trey Wallace and speedy Omari Evans, were missed last week and could be difference makers vs. Iowa.

n KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s unsportsmanlike penalty for a late shove hurt the Lions’ momentum at Illinois. You’ll recall KLS is the guy who — as a joke — faked pulling up lame with a hamstring during his 88-yard touchdown in the Rose Bowl. Franklin wasn’t laughing.

n If you’ve not been following Mel Tucker’s self-destruction at Michigan State, click around for a sad example of professional suicide.

n Here’s an example that if you’re good enough, they’ll find you. Irv Charles scored a key touchdown that helped beat Minnesota in 2016 at a time when the wolves were gathering at Franklin’s porch (ie: prior to his first of three contract extensions.) That was the highlight of Charles’ PSU career, and he later landed at IUP, catching 12 touchdowns in 2021. Charles signed with the New York Jets this week.

n A Pittsburgh native, Kirk Ferentz kidded that he carries “a chip on my shoulder” since he wasn’t recruited by PSU in the early 1970s (he went on to play linebacker at UConn). “They didn’t recruit guys that ran 5-flat 40s at linebacker and weighed 200 pounds,” he said. “I’m over that … I think.” He recalls watching the Lions’ 1969 Orange Bowl win (15-14) against Kansas, when PSU cashed in a late second chance 2-point conversion because the Jayhawks had too many men on the field (actually, that was the case for the previous couple plays). “I remember that game vividly,” Ferentz, 68, said. “It was Linebacker U.” He mentioned Dennis Onkotz, Steve Smear and Mike Reid, saying, “I was a fan of theirs as a kid.”

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.